A construction worker found more than three kilograms of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” while clearing debris from the former Club Manila Lounge at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
Government agencies led by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the NAIA Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (IADITG) said the suspected shabu was discovered by a worker, identified as Paul Anthony Padilla, while he and other workers were demolishing old cabinets and other shelves inside the lounge.
The operatives explained that the contraband, wrapped in packing tape, was concealed underneath the cabinet to prevent its detection.
The former Club Manila was located at the Fourth Level, predeparture area of Terminal 1.
The lounge has been closed since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020 and is now under renovation to become a food court.
NAIA-PDEA head Gerald Javier said the abandoned drugs were placed in three large improvised pouches and weighing approximately 3,180 grams of suspected meth with a street value of P21,624,000.
Government agencies at NAIA are currently conducting an investigation into how the drugs were smuggled into the country's premier airport.
Authorities suspect that the drug smuggler may have an accomplice inside the terminal.
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